Super Middle is getting more exciting to watch and newly deemed IBF #1 Contender Librado Andrade just added another notch to his belt by beating Germany’s Robert Stieglitz convincingly with a TKO 8 result, when after Andrade landed many punches unanswered, the referee Ray Corona, saw fit to stop the contest. Andrade knocks out 2/3s of his opponents with his hard working, aggressive style of punching for three minutes of every round.

Andrade looks a bit like Anthony Quinn, who starred in “Requiem for a Heavyweight” back in 1962. Great

film. Unlike the fading, aging, Louis ‘Mountain’ Rivera that Quinn portrayed in the movie, Andrade is definitely a winner.

Germany’s Robert Stieglitz came to the fight with a record of 31-1, 19 KO’s. A solid European style boxer with decent power, Stieglitz couldn’t keep up with Andrade, who always outworked him and kept too busy defending to punch back with the proper frequency.

From the opening bell, Andrade was all over Stieglitz, punishing him with shots to the body, hooks to the head, overhand rights and an occasional shot to the chest. Stieglitz was able to win early portions of a few rounds with quality boxing skills and landing good shots but Andrade always got into the next gear as the rounds grew longer, taking over from the halfway point and finishing strongly.

I gave Steiglitz the fourth round because he gave his best effort in that one and was able to neutralize Andrade a good deal in that round. Other than the

fourth, he lost every other round on my card. He’s a good fighter but Andrade is simply a hungrier fighter and he took it Saturday night.

Andrade’s first loss came at the hands of former champion, Mikkel Kessler last year. Kessler was too strong and too skillful to fall into any traps Andrade’s style posed. With this win over Steiglitz, Andrade has earned the mandatory position to fight the IBF champion, Canada’s Lucien Bute, who hails from Romania and sports a record of 22-0, 18 KO’s.

Lucien Bute has been a busy bee lately; he fought three times in 2007, beating Sergey Tatevosyan by UD, Sakio Bika by UD and he beat Alejandro Berrio by TKO 11 last October. Last month, he TKO’d William Joppy in ten rounds. As the current IBF champion, Bute should be scheduled to fight Andrade next, as Andrade is now his officially mandated opponent.

Congratulations to Librado Andrade, he puts on a good show for the fans and for what he lacks in finesse, he makes up for with an exciting style of brawling. Andrade is marching forward and I can’t wait to see him fight Lucien Bute!